Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Vanuatu Update 1


Monday, March 16, 2015

Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Vanuatu

Dear Friends,

The email below came through Pastor Lloyd Donica of Bethel Baptist Church in Hampton, VA.  He received this message from Steve Gibbs.  On Sunday, we first heard of Steve through Fellowship Bible Church of Lancaster, SC, where Pastor Mills is the pastor.

Please read this information so your church can know the needs of the brothers and sisters on Vanuatu. 

“Dear Friends,  We have just been able to get through on the phone to Jimmy Kalo in Vanuatu.  The best news is that everyone on their property survived the cyclone.  They still have no water and no electricity, and the outdoor kitchen where they do their cooking has blown across the street and down the road.  During the night while Pam was passing over, the men had to block the door with their bodies to keep it from blowing in.  Much water came in the house but mercifully their roof stayed on.  You can imagine that everyone is in shock.  There is no one who has not been affected by the ravages of the cyclone.  Many ministries and businesses and families will be rebuilding from basically nothing.  Photos of Port Vila show uprooted trees, mangled buildings, shipping containers displaced in the road.  What kind of wind can blow a shipping container around?  Extensive flooding has also caused a lot of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Boats are splintered and washed up on shore.  Power lines are down everywhere and roads and bridges washed away.   Many pictures of the devastation in Port Vila have been posted on Facebook.  It’s a sobering journey to see the devastation.  As yet there is no word from the outer islands.  We cannot imagine how people in bush housing have managed to survive. Vanuatu will be a long time in recovery from this major storm, the South Pacific equivalent of Haiyan or Katrina.  Thanks for praying.  We will let you know when structures are in place to receive donations to help the victims.

It will be many weeks, perhaps months, before children can return to school, gardens will once again produce food and life will be begin to take on some semblance of normalcy.  We ask you to pray for us that we will have wisdom and insight as to what is the best way to help those whose lives have been radically changed by natural disaster.
Steve and Jane”

Operation Renewed Hope will commit $2000.00 immediately for this work as it is needed.

If you would like to participate by debit or credit card go to Operation Renewed Hope and choose “Network for Good.”  Please designate the gift for “International Relief.”

If you would like to participate by check, please, send the check to Operation Renewed Hope, P.O. Box 43242, Fayetteville, NC, 28309.  Please designate the check for “International Relief.”

Jan Milton
Operation Renewed Hope
1017 Sage Green Ct
Raleigh, NC 27610
910-987-5072
orhus@aol.com

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